Like a Flag Flying the Reversal
Like a Flag Flying the Reversal(逆転は翻る旗の如く) is the fourth episode of the Infinite Dendrogram anime. Plot On their way to Gideon in a carriage, Ray and his party discuss how Rook acquired a Tri- Horn Demi Dragon (which he has named Marilyn) as a reward for a modeling quest as well as Jewel. While on their way, they run into a caravan of tians who are under attack by a group of goblins. The group decides to save them, even at the risk of dying and failing their quest. After a hard fought battle, during which Babylon evolved to her second form due to gaining much expeience due to the combo of her and Rook's Charm skills, Ray is thanked by the leader of caravan's bodyguards but is cut off midway, as the a giant red ogre falls from the sky, crushing the man as Ray barely escapes. As Ray blocks the ogre's attack with Counter Absorption Marie warns Ray that the ogre is Gardranda, a Unique Boss Monster, and Ray recognizes the name from the Adventurer Guild bounty list. As he moves in to attack, Gardranda uses its Hellish Miasma, covering the area in gas that gives everyone the Poison, Intoxication and Weakness debuffs. Rook, who escaped the gas by flying with Babylon orders Marilyn to assist Ray, though she is no match for Gardranda, forcing him to recall her into his Jewel. Ray tries using Vengeance is Mine when Gardranda restarts its attacks, but due to the low amount of damage he took, it only blows off a few of her fingers. Marie uses this oppurtunity to splash Ray with an Elixir, which protects him from status effects for 180 seconds. Ray restarts the fight, hoping to build up enough damage to finish Gardrandra with a Vengeance before the Elixir runs out. Ray is then attacked by a Crimson Roc Bird, which he belatedly realizes is how Gardranda fell from the sky. Rook offers to hold the monster off with Babylon long enough for Ray to finish the fight. Once he obtains enough damage, Ray aims for Gardranda's head and though it attempts to stop him with its Purgatorial Flame, Ray blocks it with his second Counter Absoroption and is successful in destroying the creature's head. However, Gardranda continues fighting, hitting Ray with a powerful attack after which the debuffs return, his Elixir having worn off. Confused at this turn of events, Ray remembers the warning Cheshire gave him, finally understanding what it meant, though he also understands that he cannot win now that the debuffs have returned. Ray pulls himself together, declaring that he can't give up while his friends are fighting. Nemesis then alerts Ray to a myserious message on his Status, which tells him that Nemesis can activate an emergency evolution. As Gardranda closes in to finish him off, Ray opts to accept the evolution. Nemesis then evolves into her second form, The Flag Halberd and uses its ability, Like a Flag Flying the Reversal, to reverse the effects of Gardranda's debuffs, which increases his stats and restores his HP. He then tries to attack its core but when the damage regenerates, realizes that weak attacks cannot finish it. He decides to try another Vengeance, only for Nemesis to tell him she cannot use those skills in this form. He switches tactics to destroy its mobility by aiming for its legs first. Once that it is done, he switches to the Black Blade, blocking a shot of Purgatorial Flame with the extra Counter Absorption he gained from Nemesis' evolution. He is shocked when Gardranda fires a second shot, which is blocked by a strange creature flying in from nowhere. Ray then uses Vengeance to destroy Gardranda. Exhausted, Ray slumps to the ground while a message proclaims Ray as the MVP of the battle, granting him the Miasmaflame Bracers, Gardranda as a special reward. When Marie rushes over to offer him first aid, he asks her if she saw the Superior Killer anywhere, having recognised the strange creature that aided him as the PK's Embryo, to which she replies that she saw him firing from some distance away and then running off toward Gideon. Rook and Babylon, riding the Crimson Orc Bird land nearby, telling a stunned Ray that he Charmed and tamed the monster, naming it Audrey. The leader of the caravan comes by and thanks Ray for saving the lives of him and his family. As Ray and his party watch over the corpses of those killed, Ray ruminates on the unnatural realism of the game, remembering Liliana and Milianne and wordering if this is really just a game. At an unknown location, the control A.I. in charge of UBMs is intrigued at a low level player like Ray defeating a UBM. While at first he believes Ray just landed a lucky blow while fighting with other low leveled individuals, he is surprised again while reading the log of the fight, though he accepts it upon realization that Nemesis' abilities are well suited to giant killing. While still surprised that Gardranda, a tricky UBM he had pegged as being capable of evolving into a SUBM, a Superior Unique Boss Monster, he is pleased, remarking that new talent like Ray is necessary for assembling 100 Superiors and reaching Infinity. He then says that Ray should have fun getting stronger, as this world is merely a game for him. Ray and his party arrive in Gideon and walk through the city, amazed at its diversity which Marie notes to be a result of the city bordering Legendaria and Caldina, resulting in a booming tourist trade. When they make their way to Gideon's Adventurer Guild to collect their reward, Ray is also given the million lir reward for killing Gardranda, which he is unsure of how to divvy up amongst the party. Later, as Ray and Nemesis go outside Gideon, he expresses his unease of the large share of the prize money he received, with Nemesis telling him its OK to want things, though he is still worried, since he received new equipment as well. Noticing an approaching goblin, Nemesis tells him to test said equipment out on the monster, which ends with Ray burning himself with Purgatorial Flames. After dispatching the goblin with Nemesis he sees a Walking Grapevine nearby and tries out the Hellish Miasma, which again ends with Ray getting caught up in his own attack. As he rests against a tree, wondering how he'll get back to Gideon with the debuffs, Nemesis notices someone in a penguin suit observing him from behind the tree. The figure springs out, introducing themselves as Doctor Flamingo. They offer Ray a strange potion to heal his debuffs, which do heal them but also gives him animal ears. Doctor Flamingo then thanks Ray for helping him complete his Animal Ear Potion. Ray, who is quite displeased at this turn of events, threatens Flamingo at sword point to remove the ears, only for Flamingo to tell him he can't and that they might wear off in 12 hours. They then ask Ray to pose for a topless photo, prompting Ray to attack the penguin, who then runs away back in the direction of Gideon. While astonished by the strange encounter, Ray wonders how Flamingo knew his name. Characters *Ray Starling *Nemesis *Rook Holmes *Babylon *Marie Adler *Marilyn *Great Miasmic Demon, Gardranda *Audrey *Cheshire(flashback) *Alejandro Walker *Liliana Grandria(flashback) *Milianne Grandria(flashback) *Jabberwock *Mr. Franklin Navigaton